West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Ltd

The vanguard and the people it serves

One of the vanguard’s key aims is improving the way people access services and support through a better ‘care navigation system’. The improved system will help direct people more efficiently to the right care at the right time and make it easier and quicker for patients to get the help they need.

As part of this work West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Ltd, a formal network of GP practices in West Yorkshire, is working to provide a larger, more diverse primary care team that delivers services ‘on the ground’.

In addition to West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Ltd (a network of GP practices in West Yorkshire) the vanguard partners include:

NHS Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group

Wakefield Council

Wakefield District Housing

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Healthwatch Wakefield

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

NOVA (voluntary community sector representative organisation)

Yorkshire Ambulance Service

Local Care Direct

West Wakefield covers around 65,000 patients and the vanguard is also working with two other GP practice networks in the area, covering a patient population of 152,000.

What is changing?

Local people are being helped to access the care they need by more than 100 ‘care navigators’ based in GP practices. These are mostly the support and administrative staff who have the first contact with patients when they come into or call the surgery, and they are trained to direct patients to the most appropriate care.

Other work underway includes:

Extended operating hours for GP services with plans to roll this out to the other GP networks linked to the vanguard

The development of integrated community teams with members from physical health, mental health and social care services, who care for the most vulnerable people

The HealthPod mobile clinic, which is improving engagement with ‘hard to reach’ groups such as the gypsy/traveller community

Improved technology for sharing patient information as needed to prevent hospital admission and support earlier discharge

The vanguard is also creating more ways for people to access healthcare digitally, through an online directory of local services and a library of helpful health apps including one designed by primary school pupils. Self-service kiosks in practices will help patients access these and other digital resources.

Key benefits

Patients are helped to access the right care at the right time

Increasing the number of ways to access services will support better self-management of health and wellbeing

Sharing information will help reduce hospital admissions and speed up discharge.